2:31 AM,
Apr. 15, 2012

Chuck Scott of Black Creek peeks through the window of a new Dodge truck Wednesday at S&L Motors in Pitts
field.

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New vehicle sales in March - and through the first quarter of 2012 - have been on the upswing as the auto industry continues to move forward from the dismal days that marked the height of the great recession.

While consumers may still be leery of the stability of the economy, the age of their vehicles is one of the factors driving people into showrooms and trading in cars many of them have owned for more than a decade.

"The biggest market driver right now is the age of the American fleet of vehicles," said Dan Witt, general manager and co-owner at Witt Auto Sales Inc., a Ford dealer in Crivitz. "It's over ...